Clover

[dbltree]

January 9th, 2012

Understanding white/ladino clover

All that most landowners know about clover is what they read in ads in hunting magazines but there is so much more they need to know! The ads insinuate that their clover can grow huge racks and draw deer for miles....neither of which is true and they fail to share the fact that their clovers are not drought resistant nor capable of providing grazing well into winter or withstand intensive grazing....that's a lot facts that you need to know.

Stolons are an extremely important part of a white clover plant and clover can spread via stolons but also die from rot and disease if not resistant. This is a pic of a white clover plant with descriptions....

Stolon density and resistant to rot is something the average landowner never thinks of, yet is a critical part of promoting year around food to hold whitetails. Last year we had severe, bitter cold weather and plenty of snow and whitetails dug through the snow to reach the Alice white clover...eating even the stolons!

This pic compares white, ladino (a taller white clover), red clover and alfalfa and it's easy to see why white/ladino is better adapted to grazing while the taller red and alfalfa are better for haying

This time of year my Alice white clover doesn't look like much....

but closer inspection reveals the still green and still tasty clover leaves

pulling back the thatch also reveals what whitetails seek out when the weather gets bad

and the thick heavy stolons that allow clovers like Alice to persist and survive everything from heavy grazing to severe drought

What many people don't understand is that whitetails will readily forage on almost any common white/ladino clover so knowing that is important to select for drought resistant, disease resistant, grazing tolerant clovers. The following are some examples of great white clovers to choose from....

Alice

Alice is a tall, large leaved clover developed for exceptional yields of palatable, high quality, high protein forage. Its vigorous spring and summer growth makes it a good choice for cutting or grazing management. Alice has greater stolon density than most other ladino types, allowing for better persistence under intensive continuous grazing. White Clover will not lignify in hot weather like Alfalfa, grasses, Red Clover, etc.

Barblanca

A new release of White Clover that has good drought tolerance. This is our introduction year, but it sure looks good.
More aggressive than other White Clover
More and faster ground cover
Large Leaf
Higher Yield
Very high N fixing
It is showing more aggressive than Alice so be careful on fertility management as it could take over grass stands. Although on good management and fertility, this clover has a unique place. It you need a very aggressive White Clover, try Barblanca.

Tripoli

Tripoli is not as tall as typical ladinos, but is more stoloniferous and produces a denser sward. Tripoli is noted for its superior heat tolerance, productivity, persistence and seeding ability. It produces seed early in the season, which is a distinct advantage in hot climates. It performs well all season in the deep-South and is proving to be a favorite of livestock and game like.

Barbian

This small leaved clover has good persistence and winter-hardiness. Its dense, low growing form makes it superb for sheep and horse pastures.

Kopu II

Kopu II was selected for stolen density, persistence under grazing, high yield, and large leaf size. This was achieved primarily by selection under cattle grazing in the northern United States and sheep grazing in New Zealand.

Kopu II, bred by AgResearch Grasslands of New Zealand, was selected from a world collection of white clovers. Penn State University and the University of Wisconsin participated in the selection and evaluation of the cultivar. In trials in Lancaster, Arlington, and Marshfield, Wisconsin Kopu II has exhibited improved yield and persistence over Alice (known as the industry standard).

Kopu II outperforms or equals Patriot and Durana in most locations in Kentucky for Persistence and Yield.

Jumbo II Ladino

Jumbo II Ladino white comes from a selections of Jumbo plus additional parentage to give it superior tiller density and disease resistance. Jumbo II is an aggressive tillering white clover that was bred and selected for the US market. Its aggressive tillering provides a dense canopy of forage. Although some leaf size was sacrificed to get the denser tillers, research has shown that the largest leaf clovers are not consistently the highest yielders of dry matter.

Durana

Adaptation: From Eastern Texas and Oklahoma across the South to the Atlantic coast and north along a line from Macon, GA to Dallas, TX. Durana persists well under grazing.

Uses: Durana is highly persistent under grazing and is best used to enrich existing, unimproved cool or warm season grass pasture, especially if ridding a pasture of toxic fescue is not an option. Excellent for grazing fall through early summer. Durana increases the attractiveness and nutritional value of wildlife food plots, alone or in a mixture.

Those are just a few common varieties however there are many many more and a little searching will allow you to look over clover trials in your region.

2011 Red and White Clover Report

Remember white clovers do not do well on sandy dry soils and will perform best on heavier clay or clay loam soils so while clover is widely adapted to most of the nation, there are areas they may not be useful. Chicory can be included in a clover mix but on good soils with good nutrition, clover can easily out compete and dominate the chicory causing it to vanish from the stand.

Each landowner will need to do some experimenting to see what might work best for them on their soils and then note endurance under duress from droughts and intensive grazing. Do some research on clovers adapted to your area and then compare them in side by side trials or mix several varieties together for a diverse combination.

Check your local co-op or seed source or do a search on line but here are a couple sources that sell seeds by the pound.

Welter Seed

Des Moines Forage and Turf

SucraSEED carries Sweet Spot...a mix of excellent white clovers and high sugar ryegrass that is also very drought resistant.

White clovers are an essential part of our habitat program and one of the most important tools we have available to meet our goals of having year around food sources. Be sure to incorporate clover into your centralized feeding area along with other crops that combined will keep deer fed year around....

 

[huntdoc]

So what is your experience with barblanca? The description above says it becomes invasive? That sounds like what I would want from a low maintenance plot that will get ignored, something that takes over and thrives! I was planning to try establishing Alice but this makes me reconsider for barblanca.

 

[dbltree]

So what is your experience with barblanca? The description above says it becomes invasive? That sounds like what I would want from a low maintenance plot that will get ignored, something that takes over and thrives! I was planning to try establishing Alice but this makes me reconsider for barblanca.

They are talking about clovers from a cattleman's point of view where they need a certain % in grasses. All white clover is "invasive"...just look in your lawn...

I personally prefer Alice for it's drought resistance but if you try Barblanca keep us posted on what you think of it?

 

[dbltree]

January 15th, 2012

The value of white clover in a whitetail habitat management program is often underestimated, perhaps sometimes because the wrong clovers are being utilized or way to much clover has been planted. White/ladino clover is the one single crop source that can last the longest period of time over the greatest area of the country.

It's often taken for granted in nice weather but....Alice white clover really shines when the conditions are at their worst!

Whitetails readily dig thru the snow for good dominant clovers like Alice and KopuII

making them invaluable assets in reaching our goals of providing year around food sources

I have conducted many tests comparing clovers over the years and the most expensive "buck on a bag" clovers quickly go dormant in the fall and offer little or no food resources during the winter....not so with tough, dominant clovers bred for livestock grazing. Buy the best clover seed for less, plant 10-20% of your feeding area in white clover and along with crops like winter rye and brassicas...keep whitetails on your property all year long....

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, in odd areas, corners or simply divide the plot with clover strips

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring.

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[trev33]

Would there be a problem if you planted a 50/50 mix of Alice and Kopu II clover? Or would it be better to plant just one variety.

Trev

 

[dbltree]

Would there be a problem if you planted a 50/50 mix of Alice and Kopu II clover? Or would it be better to plant just one variety.

Trev

No problem at all...I frequently mix Alice, KopuII and Jumbo Ladino white clovers.:way:

 

[dbltree]

February 11th, 2012

Here we area...right smack in the middle of winter when food sources are needed most but often missing from most habitat programs, so where then is this beaten runway leading too??

Not beans, not corn...just plain ordinary white clover!

Good quality white clovers bred for intense grazing by livestock (not high priced "deer" clover) will last literally year around and though it doesn't look like much in mid winter...it's till an attractive draw, and every patch of clover looks like a barnyard!

These bucks are just a few of hundreds of pics from a patch of clover in mid winter

If you can only plant one thing because of lack of equipment or extremely intense grazing pressure...plant good quality white clovers such as Alice or KopuII. Where ever possible however, use white clover in conjunction with a combination of other crops to keep deer fed year around...such as the following...

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, in odd areas, corners or simply divide the plot with clover strips

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring.

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[KSHUNTER]

I have a lot of grass thatch from last year on my clover plot, would it be ok to burn it off right now or would that harm the clover? I frost seeded clover last spring into rye, I didn't spray because I wanted it to get established.

I plan on hitting it with a pretty good dose of select once the grass comes on now that the clover is more established.

 

[dbltree]

I have a lot of grass thatch from last year on my clover plot, would it be ok to burn it off right now or would that harm the clover? I frost seeded clover last spring into rye, I didn't spray because I wanted it to get established.

I plan on hitting it with a pretty good dose of select once the grass comes on now that the clover is more established.

I don't think it would harm the clover but honestly that is something I have never tried? If you burn it, let us know the outcome?

 

[Trappertim]

I burned a clover patch with grass last year and it came back great.

 

[dbltree]

I burned a clover patch with grass last year and it came back great.

Thanks! That's good to know :way:

 

[Buck-Man]

seeding when weather isnt the norm

Hey guys , 3 part question here bare with me.
My property is in southern IL and with our winter being so mild this year can I throw some clover down now ?
I have 3 established plots that had atv trails around them and no longer use and wanted to add that area to the existing plot.
I also have 2 established clover plots that were planted in W.I. imperial 3 years ago that just were overtaken by ragweed last season and some grasses. Ive tried 24db and cutting but couldnt get ahold of it, now i have some clover which might come back if I can get all the weeds out but the plots have so much laid down garbage ,dead ragweed ,grasses.
Is it best to rework soil and replant my own mix of clovers?
Do to equipment problem and weather issues last year i wasnt able to plant my corn,brassicas/turnips/sugarbeets,chufa .ive kept it wrapped in the nylon bags and in tupperware bins and no lids in the polebarn will this seed be good this season?
Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[dbltree]

Hey guys , 3 part question here bare with me.
My property is in southern IL and with our winter being so mild this year can I throw some clover down now ?
I have 3 established plots that had atv trails around them and no longer use and wanted to add that area to the existing plot.
I also have 2 established clover plots that were planted in W.I. imperial 3 years ago that just were overtaken by ragweed last season and some grasses. Ive tried 24db and cutting but couldnt get ahold of it, now i have some clover which might come back if I can get all the weeds out but the plots have so much laid down garbage ,dead ragweed ,grasses.
Is it best to rework soil and replant my own mix of clovers?
Do to equipment problem and weather issues last year i wasnt able to plant my corn,brassicas/turnips/sugarbeets,chufa .ive kept it wrapped in the nylon bags and in tupperware bins and no lids in the polebarn will this seed be good this season?
Any help would be greatly appreciated

I like to wait til mid march here in SE Iowa but anytime now is probably fine in southern Illinois.

I'm not fond of trying to keep a spent clover plot going by overseeding more seed, eventually it needs a break and rotated to another crop for a year. Not saying it can't be done but I think you'll be happier with the results if you till it up and start over but it's your call of course.

The hands down best way is to plant the clover in the fall with the rye mix posted in the cereal thread so you can plant it to oats and berseem clover this spring to give it a bit of a break.

Your stored seeds should be just fine...:way:

 

[spltbrow]

I planted some alice white clover last spring and i am wandering if i should frost seed any other types of clover into it to have more of a veriaty of clover or just stick with the white.

 

[SWBUCKHNTR]

I am no expert but your alice white choice is about the best. I dont know if adding another variety would "pull" more deer in. I think it is hard to beat white clovers.

 

[dbltree]

I am no expert but your alice white choice is about the best. I dont know if adding another variety would "pull" more deer in. I think it is hard to beat white clovers.

You are correct....adding other varieties I have found accomplishes little in regards to deer, the only advantage is that different varieties have different attributes such as drought resistance and stolon stamina. Mixing several white clovers (such as Alice and KopuII) provides a small amount of insurance against stand loss but that's about it.

Adding red clover can provide more tonnage but red clover is short lived, lasting 2 years in most cases.

 

[risto2351]

You are correct....adding other varieties I have found accomplishes little in regards to deer, the only advantage is that different varieties have different attributes such as drought resistance and stolon stamina. Mixing several white clovers (such as Alice and KopuII) provides a small amount of insurance against stand loss but that's about it.

Adding red clover can provide more tonnage but red clover is short lived, lasting 2 years in most cases.

The one other attribute that I like is that white clover

seems to be a lower growing clover compared to the red clover.

I like this because I can not get out to mow when I want and usually

I have no problem when I do get to it. It is not maintenance free but

it is user friendly. IMO

 

[SoDakarcher]

Clover questions

I planted clover per instructions of Dbltree last fall. Unfortunately we had very little if any rain in SD after Aug. I saw very little clover germination last fall.
I had asked for Alice but received Ladino white and also White Dutch.

I was considering another dose of frost overseed with Alice in March. I am just afraid I will be overrun with weeds if I do not get a stand.

Any harm?? What do you think of the varieties I already planted... with whitetails in mind?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sligh1]

I planted clover per instructions of Dbltree last fall. Unfortunately we had very little if any rain in SD after Aug. I saw very little clover germination last fall.
I had asked for Alice but received Ladino white and also White Dutch.

I was considering another dose of frost overseed with Alice in March. I am just afraid I will be overrun with weeds if I do not get a stand.

Any harm?? What do you think of the varieties I already planted... with whitetails in mind?

Thanks in advance!

I have seeded many times in August-ish and saw little clover in the fall - I wouldn't jump to conclusions too fast. I WOULD frost seed some more if I were you. If u have Ladino planted, it'll be fine. If you frost seed- just get Alice white- you'll have a nice blend. Nice part is- before you tore it up- give it a chance after frost seeding & looking at ur clover coming up from last year- it'll b one of the 1st things to green up & u'll know early if it is coming in nice. I suspect it will. I personally think u'll b fine BUT wait & see and do some frost seeding before doing anything else.

 

[dbltree]

Some of my fall seedings didn't take well either thanks to the drought so I'll be frost seeding more seed into it in the next few weeks. Like Skip mentions...can't hurt and it's good insurance...:way: